The Gr 2 C N Wadia Gold Cup produced drama, confusion and ultimately a neat stable sweep for trainer Pesi Shroff. What began with the fancied Sovereign King’s saddle mishap and subsequent disqualification soon turned into a race where Shroff’s runners quietly took charge. Kings Gambit led home stablemates King Ke and Red Bishop, ensuring the first three places were all claimed by the same yard while punters were left wondering which card the master trainer had actually played.

Trainer Pesi Shroff holds so many aces that the puzzle is not whether he will win, but which card he intends to reveal. It is a delightful dilemma for the trainer and a minor nervous breakdown for punters trying to decide which of his runners is actually meant to win.

Shroff landed three races on Sunday’s Zavaray S Poonawalla Racing Carnival. One was straightforward. The other two required the punters to possess either divine intuition or the trainer’s private diary.

The Gr 2 C N Wadia Gold Cup turned into a small theatre of chaos. Sovereign King, the fancied runner from the stables of Adhirajsingh Jodha, saw his saddle slip early, his rider lose balance, the horse bolt to the front, grind to a halt in the straight and finally get disqualified when jockey Anthony Raj weighed in light. What began as a competitive contest soon resembled a slapstick routine.

Meanwhile, Pesi Shroff’s Kings Gambit, ridden by the lesser-heralded A Prakash, quietly stepped forward to collect the prize ahead of King Ke. Red Bishop, with Trevor Patel aboard, came flying late to edge out Thalassa, the perennial teaser from the yard of Faisal Abbas who has perfected the craft of raising expectations and then failing to live up to expectations.

In the end, the race turned into a tidy in-house affair for Pesi Shroff, with the first three home all emerging from his yard, leaving the rest of the field to perform the largely ceremonial duty of making up the numbers.

If the Gold Cup was comic theatre, the Gr 2 Maharaja Sir Harisinghji Trophy bordered on the improbable. Shroff’s Zuccaro, returning after 406 days and a bout of tendonitis, appeared about as likely to win as a retired sprinter entering the Olympics. Yet the six-year-old stormed from the rear to collar stablemate Psychic Star in the final strides.

The real insult to logic was the clock. Zuccaro smashed the course record with a startling 1:33.964, shaving nearly two seconds off the previous mark. Jockey Yash Narredu delivered the finishing surge while Psychic Star, who seemed to have the race sewn up, suddenly discovered she had company. Millennium Force finished third ahead of Pride's Prince.

The much-touted African Gold, second favourite and once celebrated for his victory in the Colts Championship Stakes, chose instead to display a touching indifference to the proceedings and finished last.

The Gr 3 Shapoorji Pallonji Breeders’ Juvenile Colts’ Championship was refreshingly uncomplicated. Favourite D'artagnan, handled by Vivek, stalked the pace set by Bravion and Alpha Strike before asserting authority in the straight. The son of Deauville disposed of Bravion with polite efficiency. Enrich finished second ahead of Alexios.

Then came the day’s market embarrassment. Angelisa started the shortest priced favourite in the Gr 3 Forbes Breeders’ Juvenile Fillies Championship but found Vortex, trained by Shazaan Shah, in no mood to read the betting forecast. Ridden by Trevor Patel, Vortex led throughout and repelled Angelisa’s challenge. Pinnacle ran on well, the first three finishing almost in a photograph.

The Pune Derby winner Zacharias attempted redemption in the Haunting Memories Million but found Break Point, ridden by Neeraj Rawal, unwilling to cooperate with the script. The Dreamfield progeny made every post a winning one while Zacharias rallied too late. Namiri, widely expected to threaten, instead demonstrated a touching preference for moderation and settled for third.

In the Zavaray S Poonawalla Sprinters’ Challenge, Dream Seller justified his reputation. Social Butterfly set the pace with Credence in pursuit. Trevor Patel threaded Dream Seller through a narrowing gap that thankfully widened in time. The result was decisive and gave trainer Pradeep Chouhan, his second winner of the day. Credence nosed out Social Butterfly for third.

Adhirajsingh Jodha’s Santana Row looked ready to break her long run of misfortune in the Open Spaces Million until Renaissance arrived late to spoil the plan. Ashwa Ankara finished third.

Trainer Aman Altaf Hussain enjoyed a brace. Neutralist dominated the Lahinch Million from start to finish under Trevor Patel, beating La Dolce Vita with Starseed third.

The Ahead Of My Time Million proved exactly as open as the betting suggested. Manor House prevailed in a tight finish over American Eagle, while Shirsa finished strongly for third.

Finally, the Poonawalla Stud Farms Auction Sale Stakes produced another big upset. The hyped Invictor failed to justify the chatter. Queen Of Beauties led deep into the straight before Rambo, previously unimpressive but suddenly enthusiastic, stormed past under Anthony Raj to give Shazaan Shah a double. Invictor had to settle for third, leaving the hype slightly embarrassed and the result refreshingly honest.